Baon Kainan

Baon Kainan
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Ethan and Geri Leung
Food type
CityPortland
CountyMultnomah
StateOregon
CountryUnited States
Websitebaonkainan.com

Baon Kainan is a Filipino restaurant in Portland, Oregon, United States. It has garnered a positive reception.

Description

The restaurant Baon Kainan serves Filipino / Filipino-American[1] cuisine in Portland, Oregon. The business has operated from a food cart on Alberta Street called Alberta Carts,[2][3] and later on Couch Street in the north Portland part of the Kerns neighborhood.[4][5] Baon Kainan has used the tagline "Not your tita's cooking".[6][7] The restaurant's website says, "Our goal is to share our perspective on Filipino food through the lens of Filipino-Americans. Growing up predominantly in the U.S. and having a Filipino heritage makes our story unique but common to what second and third-generation Filipinos have experienced."[8]

The menu includes adobo made with smoked tamari and chicken stock, ensaïmadas, as well as kare-kare served with French fries.[9] The business has also served sisig with jackfruit and mushroom, Filipino spaghetti with banana ketchup tomato sauce, and calamansi cream puffs.[2] The brunch menu includes pork belly tosilog with eggs and garlic rice, and ube bibingka is among dessert options.[10]

History

The restaurant is owned by spouses Ethan and Geri Leung.[11] The business started as a pop-up in Seattle.[12] In 2021, the couple relocated to Portland and moved Baon Kainan to a lot at Metalwood Salvage on Northeast Prescott Street.[9]

Baon Kainan has been part of the Sobrang Sarap food tour.[13][14][15] It has also hosted Balong as a pop-up serving breakfast sandwiches.[16] In 2025, Baon Kainan was among local Filipino establishments that participated in a fundraiser for victims of the Vancouver car attack.[17]

Reception

Andrea Damewood of Willamette Week wrote, "While there are a few stellar representations of Filipino cooking around town, Baon Kainan's casual and boundary-expanding take on the classics fills a slot that's gone unfilled in Portland (and likely the Pacific Northwest)."[18] Michael Russell included the business in The Oregonian's overview of Portland's best new food carts of 2021.[19] Alex Frane included Baon Kainan in Thrillist's 2021 overview of Portland's "must-hit" restaurants.[20] Baon Kainan was named Cart of the Year by Portland Monthly in 2021.[21] The magazine's Katherine Chew Hamilton included the business in a 2022 list of twenty food carts that define the city.[5] In 2024, Nick Woo and Janey Wong included Baon Kainan in Eater Portland's overview of the city's "most outstanding" food carts,[2] and The Infatuation's Krista Garcia also included the business in a list of Portland's best food carts.[22] Baon Kainan was also included in Eater Portland's 2025 lists of Portland's best brunch restaurants and best food carts.[23][24]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Restaurateur Angel Medina's Guide to Eating and Drinking Well in Portland, Oregon". Bon Appétit. September 22, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Woo, Nick (June 10, 2015). "A Guide to Portland's Most Outstanding Food Carts". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Gebel, Meira (May 28, 2024). "What Baon Kainan's Geri and Ethan Leung would eat for their last Portland meal". Axios. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Damewood, Andrea. "Tomato Season Is Here: Do You Know Where Your BLT Specials Are?". Portland Mercury. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "20 Food Carts that Define Portland Right Now". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  6. ^ "Filipino Cart Baon Kainan Isn't Auntie Authentic, but Hits All the Right Comfort Notes". Willamette Week. September 8, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  7. ^ Connor, Vickie (October 27, 2023). "How to eat every meal at a Filipino restaurant in Portland". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on March 12, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  8. ^ "6 Filipino restaurants to visit in the Portland area". KOIN.com. January 18, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Connor, Vickie (August 27, 2021). "Food cart Baon Kainan brings Filipino American flair to Portland". The Oregonian. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  10. ^ "Baon Kainan - Review - Alberta - Portland, OR". The Infatuation. May 24, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Hilton, Thom (April 16, 2024). "Baon Kainan Owners Ethan and Geri Leung's Favorite Restaurants in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  12. ^ "This New Filipino-American Food Cart Is "Not Your Tita's Cooking"". Portland Monthly. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Smith, Suzette. "Filipino Food Month Sobrang Sarap Showcases Portland-Area Food Carts, Restaurants, and Pop-Ups". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Spencer, Malia. "Sobrang Sarap wants to introduce diners to the Portland's Filipino offerings". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  15. ^ Russell, Michael (April 1, 2024). "Celebrate Filipino Food Month with specials at these Portland-area restaurants". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on May 17, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  16. ^ "Our Favorite Breakfast Sandwich Right Now Lives at Balong, a Filipino American Pop-Up". Portland Monthly. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  17. ^ Cheadle, Harry (May 2, 2025). "Portland's Filipino Restaurants Are Fundraising for the Lapu Lapu Car Attack Victims". Eater Portland. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  18. ^ "Baon Kainan Is Back and It Brought Brunch". Willamette Week. September 24, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  19. ^ Russell, Michael (September 22, 2021). "Portland's best new food carts of 2021". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Frane, Alex (September 11, 2020). "Where to Eat in Portland Right Now". Thrillist. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  21. ^ "Portland's 9 Greatest New Food Carts of 2021". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  22. ^ "The 18 Best Food Carts In Portland 2024 - Portland, OR". The Infatuation. May 24, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Baillargeon, Zoe (August 9, 2016). "Portland's Best Brunch Restaurants". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
  24. ^ Coleman, Ben (June 10, 2015). "The Best Food Carts in Portland". Eater Portland. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
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